This poll, the last of three fielded October 2011, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked to disclose whether they voted for John McCain or Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, whether they would vote for George W. Bush if he could run for president against Obama, and whether they believe the country as a whole is headed in the right direction. Surveyors queried respondents on upco... (more info)

This poll, the last of three fielded October 2011, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked to disclose whether they voted for John McCain or Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, whether they would vote for George W. Bush if he could run for president against Obama, and whether they believe the country as a whole is headed in the right direction. Surveyors queried respondents on upcoming Thanksgiving celebration rituals and holiday related preferences. Details were also sought regarding respondents' personal habits, with topics including religious involvement, restaurant patronage, library visitation, and food preferences. Opinions were collected regarding the legalization of marijuana, the legitimacy of state medical marijuana programs, and the efficacy of alternative medicine (non-surgical treatments, herbal and homeopathic remedies). Furthermore, survey participants were asked whether they believe positive thinking could produce measurable improvement in one's life in general, assist in landing a job, or aid in overcoming serious illness. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, number of phones, voter registration status, whether respondents were members of the Tea Party movement, and whether the respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.

Universe:
Persons aged 18 years or older living in households with telephones within the United States.

Data Types:
survey data

Methodology

Sample:
A variation of random-digit dialing (RDD) using primary sampling units (PSUs) was employed, consisting of blocks of 100 telephone numbers identical through the eighth digit and stratified by geographic region, area code, and size of place. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. Within households, respondents were selected using a method developed by Leslie Kish and modified by Charles Backstrom and Gerald Hursh (see Backstrom and Hursh, SURVEY RESEARCH. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1963).

Time Method:
Cross-sectional

Weight:
The data contain weight variables that should be used in analyzing the data. According to the CBS News Web site, the data were weighted to match United States Census Bureau breakdowns on age, sex, race, education, and region of the country. The data were also adjusted for the fact that people who share a telephone with others have less chance to be contacted than people who live alone and have their own telephones, and that households with more than one telephone number have more chances to be called than households with only one telephone number.

Mode of Data Collection:
telephone interview

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: